The Book of Love

Director: Bill Purple

Screenplay: Bill Purple, Robbie Pickering

Cast: Jessica Biel, Maisie Williams, Jason Sudeikis

Strength: Music, Cinematography

Weakness: Irrelevant excerpts, Acting 

Runtime: 107min

Rating: 6/10

PLOT: After the death of his pregnant wife, Henry (Jason Sudeikis), an architect by profession, tries to fulfill his wife's last request by helping a homeless teen. He helps a teenage girl to build a raft, and they sail towards Atlantic to find her father. Henry struggles within himself to overcome his wife's memories and her unique essence in his life, but he soon familiarizes himself how both Penny (Jessica Biel) and Millie (Masie Williams) are alike in nature. Milli, on the other hand, as a sixteen-year old teen becomes his companion and helps Henry recuperate from his sufferings.

REVIEW: As a director and a screenwriter, Bill Purple gave immense effort from making a simple story to an "over the head" abstract painting, but could not quite do so. Nevertheless, his hard work of trying to make something unusual out of the ordinary seemed courageous and appreciable.

The plotline is simple yet is complicated at times due to its background excerpts and details. It leaves the audience with vague questions in mind, wondering about the meaning of the story's overall concept. Emotionless expressions with too many clichéd dialogues trying hard enough to relate with the artistic momentum of the story was something to frown about. Also Masie's accent was very flimsy and at times difficult to comprehend. I am not sure if the director was trying to create love chemistry between Millie and Henry or the fact that due to its abstract ideas it was perceived like one. Jessica Biel on the other hand, being dead during the initial period of the movie was alive throughout the story and her "like a hurricane" character seemed very fresh and original. The cinematography of the movie was graciously done along with Justin Timberlake's music which stands as a powerhouse for the movie. Although, being an ordinary plot with quite forceful unique features, the narration of the story is what will make one watch the movie till the end. Hence, a movie like "The Book of Love" can never make one bored or dejected but can surely surprise at the end.